Unless you’ve been island hopping in the Dalmatian Isles, you might not have heard of Mljet or considered visiting this funky little Croatian island. There are lots of things to do on Mljet and if you have the opportunity to spend a few days here, it’s well worth it and you’ll be so glad you did. We loved the two ports we visited on the island… and learned a lot about Croatia.

Mljet was an amazing surprise filled with butterflies, vineyards, lamb, and even a pirate monastery. Take a look at what makes Mljet the most fascinating of the Dalmatian Isles. And then please let us know when you’re going to visit because we’d love to go back and spend a few more days there.

Unless you’ve been island hopping in the Dalmatian Isles, you might not have heard of Mljet or considered visiting this funky little Croatian island. There are lots of things to do on Mljet and if you have the opportunity to spend a few days here, it’s well worth it and you’ll be so glad you did. We loved the two ports we visited on the island… and learned a lot about Croatia.

Mljet was an amazing surprise filled with butterflies, vineyards, lamb, and even a pirate monastery. Take a look at what makes Mljet the most fascinating of the Dalmatian Isles. And then please let us know when you’re going to visit because we’d love to go back and spend a few more days there.

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly tour operatorsy:

At GaySail we organize about 50 gay sailing cruises a year, all over the world, for single gay men, -couples, -friends and private gay groups. We sail in Greece, Croatia, Ibiza, Virgin Islands, St. Martin & St. Barth, Bahamas, Brazil and Thailand.

With our team of 22 fully licensed gay skippers and gay cooks/co-skippers we can offer you a wonderful one- or two week gay sailing vacation. We offer regular GaySail sailing cruises but also a lot GayNudeSail sailing cruises and GaySail Exclusive luxury sailing cruises, both monohull- and catamaran yachts. Cruises with gay skipper only, or skipper and cook for breakfast and lunch. Something for everyone!

No sailing experience needed. If you like, you can take the wheel and learn to sail and navigate, if you just want to relax, soak up in the sun on the front deck, watch out for the dolphins, it’s your holiday!

We usually sail about 6 hours a day. Most of the time we anchor for lunch and swim. At night we dock in little in local harbor and have dinner in the local restaurants of we stay overnight in a bay under the stars and have dinner on board.

With direct flights from London direct to Pula, summer is the perfect time to discover the Istria peninsula in northern Croatia. Istria is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea – just a short journey across the water from Venice in northern Italy.

The name of this region is derived from the Histri tribe – one of the Illyrian tribes that inhabited the Balkans and parts of the Italian peninsula around the 4th century BC.

The Romans described the Histri as pirates, and eventually conquered them in 177 BC. The most obvious legacy left by the Romans is the massive amphitheatre in Pula – one of the largest Roman arenas still standing – but there are a wealth of archaeological points of interest to explore in this region.

Following the fall of the Roman Empire, this region repeatedly changed hands as the fortunes of the various powers waxed and waned – the Goths, the Avars, the Lombardis, and the Venetians to name a few. In more recent times, Istria has been controlled by the Habsburgs of Austria, Napoleon, and the fascist Italian government of the 1920s.

Despite their wild and remote image, getting around these archipelagos in western Scotland can be straightforward. A few of the most accessible islands include Skye, where the geologically diverse landscape includes lochs (lakes), forests, and glens (valley) and Islay, with its whiskey distilleries. Iona has white sandy beaches, and Lewis has mysterious standing stones. Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne runs services to 22 islands, most year-round.

Visitors planning to travel extensively around the islands can purchase an Island-Hopping pass, which can save you some money. For example, one pass includes ferry rides from the mainland and to the islands of Skye, Harris, and Lewis, and back to the mainland. For car and passenger, the pass costs $30 per person in the summer ($28, or $56 total, in the winter). By comparison, the total price for a car and passenger making the same trip by buying single tickets would be $202 in the summer.

Kvarner Islands, Croatia

Getting around the well-developed and family-friendly Kvarner Islands of Croatia is cheap and easy; the most costly part will be getting to Croatia from the United States. Luckily, the island of Krk, which has a mile-long beach and a medieval walled center, also has both an airport and a port (in Rijeka), making it an ideal starting point. Even luckier, budget airline Norwegian flies direct to Rijeka from Oslo for as little as $67 each way in summer.

All eyes were on Croatia this year after it was featured on the HBO series Game of Thrones. Now, there’s more tourism focus than ever on this small country on the Adriatic, with its forested hills, quaint villages, and turquoise waters. Especially rife for exploration are the country’s 1,244 known islands – of which only 50 are inhabited. Below, we offer a quick guide to exploring the best-known of these islands, depending on the type of trip you’re looking for. From each island, an excursion to an even more stunning, remote beach is possible. All it takes is a little planning:

Sipan

A quick 75-minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik, Sipan is considered one of the most accessible of south Croatia’s array of coast-hugging islands, making it suitable for an overnight stay. Along with Lopud and Kolocep, Sipan is one of the three main Elaphite Islands (named after the Greek word for ‘deer,’ who were the islands’ original inhabitants), though because it sits farthest from Dubrovnik, Sipan generally offers the least crowded beaches. To step things up a notch, the popular Hotel Bozica (from $37), whose 26 rooms all face the ocean, offers complimentary transportation from the mainland by speedboat.

You’ve been to Ibiza, Mykonos, Playa del Ingles, Sitges…and now you are ready for something new? Make yourself an exclusive holiday in world renowned Dubrovnik, take a city break in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, experience amazing nudist beaches along the Croatian coast, explore hidden bays on the island of Hvar or simply visit Croatian Ibiza – Zrce where party never stops…

However, for many years Croatia has been known as not the most gay friendliest country in the world. The entire world has seen the pictures of Croatian towns Zagreb and Split and the gay pride during which several people were injured just because they were brave enough to say who they are and more importantly who they love. Luckily these times are behind us and the situation has been changing rapidly.

There are more and more places in Croatia that are gay friendly. Today Croatia is full of beautiful beaches and people there are usually very open and relaxed. Still Croatia does not have a real gay destination and it probably will not have for some time, but that does not mean you should not visit this Mediterranean pearl.

The next time you think you are so over Pride celebrations, remember places like Split, Croatia, where helicopters and hundreds of riot police had to be deployed on Saturday to protect paraders marching in support of LGBT rights despite from threats of violence by anti-gay forces.

Several hundred participants bravely gathered in the city, carrying rainbow flags and banners that read slogans like “We are all equal” and “Gay is OK.” Croatia is currently petitioning to join the European Union, and several government ministers had joined in the event.

Several here have asked, so I will write about my trip all over Europe. First, let me say, I love folks and know they are happy to help out. So please know they will be the hostel supervisor who ran after me in Zadar, Croatia, to make sure I knew it was Nin, not Knin, I was looking for a bus to visit.

There will be the waiter on the transatlantic cruise who was so pleased that I ordered the curry, that he brought me a bowl of his own favorite chicken curry on the side. As I had a suit that is typical of Indian style, which I picked up in Green Street, in London, the Indian area, he has been particularly my friend throughout the cruise.

There will be the young worker going home to Italy from north of Munich, who is so happy you know a little German and wishes you a good life.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are invited to travel to Croatia later this month for one of the world’s premier Pride festivals.

Zagreb Pride is due to take place on June 18th and will be a celebration of all that has been achieved by those in the community, according to a report by Vecernji List summarised by the Croatian Times.

Organisers believe the fight against resistance to such a way of life is not over and have urged people to attend to call for “emancipated education.” “Ahead of us is a decade of maturity, growth and new victories,” the event’s manifesto is quoted as stating.

Our journey starts in Split, a city that lies on a large bay and is the gateway to the numerous islands of the Dalmatian coast.

After provisioning we set sail to the island of Hvar which is also known as St Tropez of Croatia. In front of the entrance to the towns harbour there are a few small islands (one with a gay beach) with numerous of bays, an ideal spot for swimming.

The next day we sail to the island Vis, which has fifty-four bays and coves. On one of the satellite islands is the famous blue cave. Stopping in one of the many bays for a swim and a lunch break, before we sail in to ancient town of Komiza. On our way to the islands Korcula we sail into the deep bay of Vela Luka. Korcula is the island with the most abundant vegetation in the Adriatic. Here we find a nice mooring for the night and have diner on board.

The green island of Lastavo is surrounded by islets. Lastavo is an island of rare beauty and spectacular natural bays. Skrivena Luka (The hidden port) is one of the most beautiful coves on the island of Lastavo. The view from the meteorological station on the highest peak of the island is amazing.

Another great day of sailing through the deep blue clear waters of the Adriatic. Our destination today is the National park on the island of Miljet. The entrance to the natural bay of Polace is narrow and stunning. Here you can rent a bike and visit the National park. Worth visiting is the Benedictine monastery and the church of St Mary from the 12th Century. In the evening we enjoy a delicious roasted local meal which is cooked on an outdoor fire.

Sipan is one of three Elaphite islands. On this island there are two villages both of them boasting picturesque summer residences on opposing bays which are separated by a large field. A short sail today gets us to Dubrovnik. This town with an unique political and cultural history must be one of the, if not the most attractive monumental city on the Mediterranean.

The next morning we leave for the island Miljet, this time we call on Sobra the main port of the island. On our way we have plenty of bays to choose among and pick one for a lunch stop and a swim.

Today we sail along the impressive coast line of Peljesac towards the narrow Peljesac channel. Our destination is Korcula, one of the best preserved medieval towns of the Mediterranean and birthplace of Marco Polo. The ancient heart of the city lies on a peninsula.

On our way back towards Hvar there is a small island, Scedro. The deep natural bay of this green island has no inhabitants only a restaurant. In the morning you can take a refreshing dive into the bay and then enjoy a good breakfast.

After a leisurely sail we arrive in front of the old harbour of Hvar. Here lies Sv Klement which has many secluded bays were we drop anchor in one of them. From here the local ferry takes you across to the popular town Hvar.

The big ferry’s and other boats reveal that we are getting closer to Split. The island of Brac is our last stop before we dock. This is one of the biggest islands. It has a very deep cove with the town Milna. This charming village is where we spend the night.

On our way back to Split we have a final dive in the warm water in one of the bays.

The Dalmatian coast is very beautiful and perfect for sailing. There is also an active gay life going on.

GaySail organizes eight and fifteen day sailing trips with gay men in Croatia. Our enthusiasm for this great sailing area keeps growing.
On each trip we discover new islands, bays and beautiful towns.
September 3 September till 17 September Croatia (Split to Dubrovnik to Split) price: 750,- euro / 1295,- euro one / two weeks